1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to automatic typefont changing apparatus for a printer such as a daisy wheel printer employed as a typewriter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art serial printers and typewriters employing a single element typefont have met wide acceptance in the marketplace because of their ability to accept different typefonts each bearing different type styles. Typefonts have generally been interchanged by the machine operator who manually disengages the loaded typefont from the typefont carrier and inserts a different one when a type style change is desired. Automatic typefont changers for such serial printers have also been proposed in order to alleviate this operator burden. U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,372 is exemplary of an automatic type element changing mechanism. This mechanism includes a carousel on which various type elements are mounted and which operates in conjunction with a loading mechanism to receive typefonts from and to present typefonts to the loading mechanism. The device is located external to the typewriter, consists of numerous parts and is quite large in size. U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,303 also describes a typefont changing apparatus employing a carousel type of loading mechanism. The typefont carrier is moved beyond the region of the platen whereat it can load and unload a typefont from the carousel mechanism. This apparatus necessarily increases the dimensions of the typewriter or printer apparatus employing it. U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,403 teaches a carousel type loader for a daisy printwheel printer which is incorporated under the covers of the printing machine. This device, like the other carousel devices, occupies a great amount of space adding to the height profile of the printing machine.